Integrated Analysis of Energy, Material and Time Flows in Manufacturing Systems

Environmental objectives (e.g. energy and resource demand, emissions, waste) become increasingly relevant for manufacturing companies in addition to traditional economic objectives (e.g. throughput time, output). Currently, different methods and tools are available to address those objectives individually, such as value stream mapping (economic), material and energy flow analysis/MEFA as well as Life Cycle Assessment/LCA (environmental). However, there is a lack on approaches that bring together benefits of those tools and allow simultaneous consideration of all objectives. Against this background, a methodology is developed to analyses the energy, material and time flows of manufacturing systems in an integrated manner. The proposed method is exemplary applied to the case of an Australian manufacturing company.